Say It With a Bouquet
by Hopeful Romantic
Summary: Rodney asks John for some advice, and John, well, he's John...


**Title:** Say It With a Bouquet  
**Rating:** G  
**Timeline:** Non-specific, just sometime in the future  
**Genre:** Humor(I hope)(grin)/Friendship  
**Disclaimer:** This is me disclaiming (insert witty comment here) We all know it's not mine, thank God, though wouldn't working on the show be amazing? No copyright infringement is intended and there's no money involved. Any similarity to any other story not my own is coincidence.  
**Author's Note:** I'm not entirely certain that I stayed, "in character" with this, but my muse just kinda stuck this idea in my head and it just wouldn't let me not not write it. This has Rodney/Teyla and John/Elizabeth, in well, it's not direct, but it directly refers to them I guess you might say. Oh, and remember (hint) Elizabeth likes red (grin)

* * *

**_Say It With a Bouquet_**

Rodney McKay reached down to gather a small handful of the colorful wildflowers that bloomed in profusion in the open field.

"McKay?" John Sheppard asked the astrophysicist. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Picking flowers," Rodney replied simply.

"I can _see _that. _Why_ are you picking flowers?"

"Well, umm, they like them don't they? Flowers I mean…" McKay stumbled over his words. "Women I mean…" He took a deep breath. "Women like stuff like this don't they; little gifts, flowers, spontaneous displays of interest… and… umm… affection?"

John gave the scientist a curious look.

"And she did… she did mention them as we stepped through the Gate. Something about, I don't know… how vibrant they were… the flowers I mean," McKay said with a rapid patter of enthusiasm.

John stopped abruptly, an almost comically surprised and incredulous expression taking over his face.

McKay continued, oblivious for the moment. "So I thought that maybe she would like some. She probably can't take them off-planet of course. Though I suppose she might be able to, if Dr. Tapping looked them over. Either way, I could give them to her here. One of those spontaneous sorts of gestures."

Rodney finally noticed that John had stopped a few feet back. He turned to look at the Colonel.

"_Teyla?" _John asked, his voice betraying his surprise and almost disbelief. "_You _want to give flowers to _Teyla_?" He eyed the colorful bouquet that Rodney held tightly in his hands.

"Of course, Teyla_," _the astrophysicist responded.

"You're going to try to give flowers to, Teyla?" John repeated, knowing that he sounded a bit simple, but seemingly just unable to wrap his mind around the concept.

"I think that we've established that, that is indeed my intention," Rodney snarked.

"What about Katie Brown?"

"She's allergic," Rodney responded almost absently as he reached for another bright purple flower to add to the growing bouquet in his hand.

"Rodney," John said in an exasperated sort of tone.

"What? Oh, you mean what happened with Katie? It didn't work out," Dr. McKay answered without further elaborating.

"Okay," John drawled. "I see… but…" he continued slowly. When Rodney still said nothing, John continued. "Teyla?" he prompted.

"You don't think she'd like flowers?"

John sighed, "I don't know McKay."

"Well, what would you do? I mean, if it were you and Elizabeth, what would you do?"

John raised an eyebrow. "Elizabeth?"

"_Elizabeth," _Rodney said slowly and precisely, as if speaking to a child. "If you were going to do something for Elizabeth, what would you do?"

The Colonel simply shook his head and started walking again. Dr. McKay hurried to keep pace.

"I mean, what do you do with, Elizabeth?" Rodney asked, clearly oblivious to how the question sounded.

"McKay, I'm not having this conversation with you," John replied. "This is ridiculous, you're not fourteen, and I'm sure as hell not giving you advice on how to try and date Teyla, for God's sake."

"Well, it's not like I can give her an Athosian pot to impress her," Rodney snarked. "Though, I suppose giving her something for her birthday may work," he said as if the notion of giving someone something as a birthday present was somehow a novel concept. "But her birthday's not what… for months yet, isn't it? I need something a bit more immediate and unexpected."

"Believe me, Rodney, this is more than unexpected."

"Really? I mean, sure, there's always been something between Samantha Carter and myself, but this is well…" Rodney trailed off, an almost wistful look gracing his face. "So, if this were you and Elizabeth, what would you do?" he continued doggedly.

"McKay, what do mean?" John finally relented a little.

"I mean sure, you're the 'Captain Kirk' of the Pegasus galaxy, but Elizabeth would never fall for that. So obviously, you must be doing something else. And Teyla's a little like Elizabeth in a lot of ways…" he trailed off, a note of expectation in his voice, clearly waiting for John to supply some sort of answer.

The Colonel ran a hand through his dark hair, mussing it even more than was its usual wont to be. He didn't know where to start; with McKay's notion that there was something happening between Elizabeth and himself, or the startling idea that Rodney wanted to pursue some kind of relationship with Teyla. He sighed and looked over to his teammate.

Rodney waited as patiently as he could, and expectant look on his face.

"_Teyla?"_

"It's not that incredible a notion," Rodney retorted, looking somewhat insulted. "At least not any more absurd than you and Elizabeth."

John opened is mouth to say something in response to _that,_ but shut it when he saw that McKay was obviously sincere in his regard for Teyla. And he was clearly serious about the idea that he and the Athosian leader might have something of a chance, for well, _something. _

Suddenly, Rodney's expression managed to look somehow suspicious, worried, disappointed, and hurt all at once. But before John could wonder how the man could do that, McKay blurted, "You're not… you and she… I thought that that had been, well, out of the picture for a while…" He trailed off. "And there's Elizabeth," he asserted.

"McKay."

The scientist turned and started to walk briskly ahead.

"McKay," John said as he caught up with him. "There's nothing going on between Teyla and me," he assured him.

They walked in silence for awhile. Finally, John asked, "Why, Teyla?"

At first, Rodney said nothing. After a few minutes had passed, he answered simply, "She knows me, and still likes me for me." He sighed before adding, "Or don't know, maybe because she knows me, and still likes me, despite knowing me for me."

John nodded.

"It's just… nice…" Rodney admitted slowly.

"It is," John replied, unable to avoid thinking of Elizabeth for a moment, and her trust in him.

Again, the two men walked in silence, until John finally said, "I'd go with the purple and red ones."

Rodney looked down to the bouquet still clutched in his hand. "Teyla likes blue better than red."

John nodded in acceptance of the statement, "Okay, well there you go, that's good, knowing things about her; things she likes. And maybe, don't worry so much about the gestures, or at least, what you think the gestures ought to be. Just, I don't know, try and be yourself, McKay."

He sighed, it really did feel a little like trying to give advice to a fourteen year old with his first serious crush. Then again, John mused, he supposed that in a lot of ways, every guy ended up being a fourteen year old with a crush when the woman made you feel just that dizzy and off-balance.

John looked down to the flowers around his feet. Discreetly, he plucked a red one and hid it carefully in one of his vest pockets…

**Fin **


End file.
